On Sunday, the start-up airline delayed its evening flight from West Palm Beach to Newport News for 14 hours, saying the pilots could not fly because of Federal Aviation Administration regulations.

The pilots were reportedly timed out. The FAA rule states that a crew can work a maximum of eight hours straight and must get at least 10 hours of rest between shifts.

Major airlines are known to reserve “relief pilots” in some cities for over-timed crews.

“Sunday’s flight was delayed after the crew timed out per FAA regulations resulting from an earlier flight delay”, the airline said in a statement. “PeoplExpress provided hotel rooms for all passengers who needed them and bought dinner for them. The flight operated early Monday morning.”

Passengers took to the PeoplExpress’ Facebook page to unload frustrations, saying the airline waited 30 minutes until after the departure time to announce the delay. Still, most commenters said the airline handled the situation well.

“Thanks for taking such good care of us passengers on yesterday’s West Palm Beach to Newport News flight,” one commenter said. “You all worked hard to handle a difficult situation, and our family really appreciated it.”

The original PeoplExpress made a short-lived splash in the commercial airline industry back in 1981. It touted cash payments on board and friendly customer service. PeoplExpress struggled to survive amid airline consolidation and was acquired by Continental Airlines in 1987.